Retail parks were the only format to see year-on-year growth in visitor numbers in July, according to the latest BRC-Sensormatic footfall data.
Overall total UK footfall fell by 0.4% in July, although this was up from -1.8% the previous month. High street footfall fell 1.7% year-on-year, compared to -3% in June. Meanwhile, shopping centre footfall decreased by 0.3% year on year, compared to -1.6% the previous month. Bucking the trend retail park footfall increased by 1.7% compared to -1.1% in June.
The news echos the sentiment of BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker earlier this month. BDO’s numbers showed sales growth of just 0.8% for physical stores in July while online sales rose 8.3%. There was a particular surge in the sales of clothing online, which grew by 10.1% year-on-year.
BRC calls for more government support
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “July failed to bring about the summer boost in shoppers many retailers had hoped for. Instead, footfall dipped in July for the second consecutive year. There were bright spots, with Manchester, Birmingham, and Leeds all showing an improvement in numbers of store visits. Retail parks continued to outperform other destinations with some seeing big brands opening new outlets.”
Dickinson said the government still needs to do more to help boost retail and that the proposed business rate cuts must be bold. “Customers want a vibrant shopping destination, but with around one in seven shops lying empty, more needs to be done to turn town and city centres into places people want to visit.”
“While government’s plan to reduce business rates for most Retail, Hospitality and Leisure premises is a step in the right direction, only a substantial cut will truly benefit communities nationwide and help bring thousands of empty shops back into use. Many smaller shops and businesses rely on larger anchor stores to attract footfall so the upcoming reforms must also ensure no store pays more, or risk seeing many larger stores close their doors or raise their prices.”
Andy Sumpter, retail consultant EMEA for Sensormatic, said shoppers are wary. “The early-July heatwave, following a scorcher in June, may have lifted leisure footfall more than retail, while one year into a new Labour government, consumer sentiment remains cautious. The underlying footfall trend may be improving, but this is still negative growth on negative 2024 figures.”
Stay informed
Our editor carefully curates two newsletters a week filled with up-to-date news, analysis and research. Click here to subscribe to the FREE newsletter sent straight to your inbox. Why not follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates on our research and analysis?
